Clode Town

On the way to Cocoyasi Village.

Mark had drifted across the sea for around three days with only a sea chart to guide him.

But since he was not a navigator, he was completely lost when it came to directions at sea.

Fortunately, Daisy had spent over a year drifting across the sea while investigating Donquixote Doflamingo. She was fairly familiar with Log Poses and sea charts, so their journey toward Cocoyasi Village had gone smoothly enough.

"Daisy... dinner's ready!" Mark had an apron tied around his waist, a spatula in one hand and a plate in the other. He used the spatula to place the browned beef from the griddle onto the plate.

Since the sailboat was so crude, there was very little space in the cabin, barely enough to divide it into two small rooms.

One was used as a kitchen, while the other was shared by Mark and Daisy. Since they had always lived together, Daisy said she did not mind sharing a room.

By now, Mark could also resist some of Daisy's charm, so living together would not lead to anything beyond his control...

Hearing Mark, Daisy emerged from the room in bear pajamas, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and entered the kitchen.

When Daisy saw the delicious food Mark had prepared, little stars immediately sparkled in her eyes. She reached for the jelly pudding on the table.

Smack!

Mark slapped her little hand away and said irritably, "Wash your hands before you eat!"

"Okay!" Daisy pouted and reluctantly went to wash her hands.

"Honestly, you've gotten a lot prettier over the past year, but how did you pick up such an unhygienic habit..." Mark placed two slices of bread onto the griddle and fried them in butter, refusing to let go of the issue of Daisy eating without washing her hands.

As Daisy washed her hands, she perked up at once when she heard Mark say she had become prettier. A faint smile spread across her little face.

But when she heard him call her unhygienic, she immediately retorted, "You're the unhygienic one. My hands are so clean..."

"Bacteria can't be seen..."

"I'm a repair person. I'm not afraid of them!"

"..."

Mark could not argue with Daisy, but he absolutely could not accept her eating without washing her hands. Otherwise, she could forget about eating the food he made.

Daisy could only agree. When she came back, she found that Mark had arranged the food perfectly. Even the two pieces of meat were neat circles without the slightest edge, and the portions of soup in the two bowls were eerily identical.

"After a year apart, your obsessive-compulsive disorder has gotten worse..." Daisy muttered softly as she pulled out a neatly arranged chair and sat down.

Mark took a sip of corn porridge and frowned. "What did you say?"

Daisy put the jelly pudding into her mouth and mumbled, "I said you've gotten more handsome again..."

"Really? I think so too." Mark readily agreed.

"If the markings on the sea chart are correct, this should be the Cocoyasi Village we're looking for..." Daisy held the chart and pointed at a location on it.

"And we're here right now!" As she spoke, she pointed to a place nearby, not far from Cocoyasi Village.

"Clode Town?" Mark looked at the marked location on the chart, then followed the route Daisy indicated toward Cocoyasi Village. "If we head to Cocoyasi Village now, about how long will it take?"

"A day and a night if we're slow, or one day if we're fast!" Daisy answered with certainty.

Clode Town was the closest town to Cocoyasi Village, an independent town located on a small island.

"Even though we're close, our supplies... seem to be running out." After Daisy put away the sea chart, Mark looked at the ingredients in the cabin.

Mark was the ship's cook, and he knew exactly how their ingredients were allocated.

Daisy said it would take at least a day, but the supplies on their ship clearly were not enough to support the two of them for that long.

It did not matter if he went hungry, but as far as Mark was concerned, letting a companion go hungry was absolutely unacceptable—especially when that companion was Daisy.

"Since there's no rush, let that guy live a little longer. Turn toward Clode Town..."

Thinking of that Marine, the image that haunted his dreams at every moment flashed through his mind. Killing intent stirred in Mark's heart.

"Then let's go to Clode Town and restock first!" Daisy took Mark's right hand and said softly.

She knew about the hatred in Mark's heart. Whenever he mentioned that man, the suppressed killing intent on his face made her feel miserable.

"Okay!" Mark's voice was somewhat hoarse. The warmth in his hand pulled him back to reality, and his right hand clasped around Daisy's with a little more force.

Held tightly in Mark's broad palm, a faint blush quickly flashed across Daisy's little face. She secretly glanced at him, and when she saw that he had not noticed, she hurriedly calmed her restless heart.

Clode Town was about the same size as Moss Town.

Since it was daytime, there were many townspeople out and about.

Children playing in the streets, dairy farmers feeding cows in the sheds, fruit stall owners skillfully picking fruit that had been touched.

These people made up Clode Town.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar scene before him, Mark could not help thinking of Moss Town.

"It really is so similar!" Though he had only been gone for a little over three days, he could not help feeling nostalgic.

After all, that was the place where he had lived for more than ten years.

Daisy was also looking at everything before her with nostalgic eyes.

After the two stood outside the town for a long time—

"Let's go!" Mark said softly.

"Mm!" Daisy answered.

They had brought around ten million Beli with them.

That was enough to buy supplies for one or two years of luxurious living. Mark had earned some of it working for Jaba—though he had only saved two hundred thousand over more than ten years—and the rest was the living expenses Jaba had given Daisy: eleven million three hundred and twenty thousand Beli, practically everything he had.

With so much money to spend, their supply run went smoothly. After all, ten million Beli was enough for an ordinary person to buy normal food for more than ten years, perhaps even over twenty.

Especially in East Blue, where supplies were even cheaper.

However, their extravagant shopping—Daisy bought whatever caught her eye, since she was the one with the money—caught the attention of certain people.

The Boar Slaughterhouse west of Clode Town, the headquarters of one of East Blue's great pirates, White Ghost Swordsman Pock—

"You pathetic hanging man who pisses on his own shoes and fires his one-handed cannon for three seconds, even the Bion gorilla is interested in your asshole. Once I get out, I'll make sure Bion knows you exist, then I'll show you what it means for peach blossoms to bloom everywhere."

Pock stared gloomily at the golden eagle in the cage.

"You damned stupid bird, your mouth is filthy. Once I figure out the secret behind your ability to generate electricity, I'll pluck out your feathers one by one, roast you alive, and turn you into a delicious whole roasted bird."

The eagle in the cage was enormous, standing around a meter tall. Its bright golden feathers were exceptionally gorgeous.

With its wings spread, it measured a full three meters across, and its eagle eyes shone sharply.

But it could actually speak, which was utterly inconceivable.